From the hazy darkness of my travels I stumbled upon a garden overlooking a mansion of grandeur. From a first glance I could easily tell that a rich family lives there, but will they let me in?
Of course they would. It's not like someone cares if someone like me enters people's homes without permission, right?
As I wandered into the living room I drew out my journal and pen, for I realized something worth writing was afoot.
~
It was a family of four - a father, a mother, and two siblings, brother and sister. The family was in the living room, apparently in the middle of resolving an otherwise hopeless conflict.
"And now we have just lost a potential deal if it weren't for your actions!" the father lashed out at his son. "I had told you ages ago to take care of this matter first before anything else but what did you do?!"
"I was trying to arrange more opportunities for the business, Father, I - "
"You wasted your time and effort rallying these insignificant people you claim while there is a good price to be fetched with what I had originally intended for you to do!"
"But, Father, times are changing now - no longer are the methods of the past working, if you would just listen and observe, you - "
"Silence! I will have no more of this! You will do as directed and do it without question. Am I understood?"
"I... yes, Father..."
"And mark my word: If this sort of blunder happens again I swear to you your future in this family will be at stake!"
With that the father stormed out of the living room and into the study, slamming the door hardly behind him.
"Let it not trouble you, my son." the mother said calmly, cheering her son, who had started to fight back tears. "Your father has always been like that, if you would only do as he asks..."
"But I have, Mother!" the son burst out, tears fought over finally winning over at last. "For twenty years I've done as he directed, atoned over any sin I've committed, yet he still treats me as scum whenever I do something wrong!"
"Well, I'm sure Papa is only doing it for your own good, brother." his sister remarked, not consoling him as well.
"My own good, sister?" he choked. "I've done countless goods in my life yet he never acknowledges a single one of them as much as he pays attention to every single mistake I make in my life!"
He stood up.
"Leave me be for a while." he said, making his way upstairs into his chambers.
The mother and the daughter could only glance worriedly at one another as the brother's upstairs bedroom door opened and shut with force.
It was a family of four - a father, a mother, and two siblings, brother and sister. The family was in the living room, apparently in the middle of resolving an otherwise hopeless conflict.
"And now we have just lost a potential deal if it weren't for your actions!" the father lashed out at his son. "I had told you ages ago to take care of this matter first before anything else but what did you do?!"
"I was trying to arrange more opportunities for the business, Father, I - "
"You wasted your time and effort rallying these insignificant people you claim while there is a good price to be fetched with what I had originally intended for you to do!"
"But, Father, times are changing now - no longer are the methods of the past working, if you would just listen and observe, you - "
"Silence! I will have no more of this! You will do as directed and do it without question. Am I understood?"
"I... yes, Father..."
"And mark my word: If this sort of blunder happens again I swear to you your future in this family will be at stake!"
With that the father stormed out of the living room and into the study, slamming the door hardly behind him.
"Let it not trouble you, my son." the mother said calmly, cheering her son, who had started to fight back tears. "Your father has always been like that, if you would only do as he asks..."
"But I have, Mother!" the son burst out, tears fought over finally winning over at last. "For twenty years I've done as he directed, atoned over any sin I've committed, yet he still treats me as scum whenever I do something wrong!"
"Well, I'm sure Papa is only doing it for your own good, brother." his sister remarked, not consoling him as well.
"My own good, sister?" he choked. "I've done countless goods in my life yet he never acknowledges a single one of them as much as he pays attention to every single mistake I make in my life!"
He stood up.
"Leave me be for a while." he said, making his way upstairs into his chambers.
The mother and the daughter could only glance worriedly at one another as the brother's upstairs bedroom door opened and shut with force.
---
Days passed and the matter was thought forgotten and dealt over with, until a family guest paid a visit to the mansion. The mother graciously welcomed the guest, who was her sister, and the family gathered in the living room to attend to their guest's needs.
"And how is the family business picking up, my dear sister?" the guest asked the mother.
"Oh, but they are doing well, thank you, m'dear." the mother remarked. She was about to brush the topic aside when the father suddenly chimed in.
"Yes, well, we have significantly done better than before, although it could have gone better if not for my dear son's efforts there..." he trailed a glance towards his son, who fought his best effort to maintain his attention on the book he had been reading. "...isn't that right, my son?"
The last few words were spoken with much sarcasm that the son flared up with annoyance, forgetting all manner of respect to his father.
"We have settled this matter days ago, Father, does that not suffice for it to be left at that?" the son retorted.
"Hmm. Yes. But I suppose a little reminding should put you in order, no?" the father said.
"I've already learned my lesson there, Father. Please do not make things any harder for both of us."
"Oho! So you think you're a big man now? Do you think you have the guts to stand on your own now and challenge my authority in this house?!"
Their voices steadily rose in anger now and the guest watched in fear beside her sister and niece as the argument started to turn to a shouting match.
"No, father." the son finally said, making his way back to his chambers. "I have long learned that you always win in this house for as long as you live."
With that he turned his back on him and imprisoned himself within the confines of his sanctuary once again.
---
A funeral. Both mother and daughter were anguished as they stood upon the freshly hewn grave where the father now rested, having been killed by a business associate whom he tried to confront after threatening the safety of the entire business. The son was there too, holding an umbrella up so as not to soak his mother and his sister in the rain that seemed to join in the mourning of the family.
As they walked away from the grave, mother and daughter leading the way, the son holding the umbrella behind them turned one last look at the stone panel now embedded on the grass, and as he turned away an apparent sliver of a smile crossed his face.
The cycle is over. Or is it?
~
"Who do you think is to err in this tale, the father or the son?" the Light asked me again, her voice shaking me from my mourning reverie.
I failed to answer. The last words poured from my pen into the journal as I put the story into a close, then closed the black book before heading off.
"Think about this as you journey towards being reborn anew." the Light said again, her voice fading into the rain as a new path was shown to me.
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